Mother: Remains from Linden mass grave were more than her daughter’s

STOCKTON – The remains of murder victim JoAnn Hobson, excavated from a Linden well this year and returned to her family for burial, were mixed up with at least two others, says a report made public today.

STOCKTON – The remains of murder victim JoAnn Hobson, excavated from a Linden well this year and returned to her family for burial, were mixed up with at least two others, says a report made public today.

Rather than bury her daughter, Joan Shelley, mother of the 16-year-old who vanished in 1985, sent the remains for analysis by the Human Identification Laboratory at California State University, Chico. The report found that the use of large earth-moving equipment contributed to comingling the remains.

Shelley expressed outrage at local authorities and said she has retained an attorney. The report opens up the possibility that other victims may have been unidentified, including missing 9-year-old Hayward girl, Michaela Garecht, who vanished in 1988.

The killing duo of Wesley Shermantine and Loren Herzog were never convicted in Hobson’s death, but Shermantine’s tips led investigators to the Linden well.

Read Thursday’s Record for more on this story by staff writer Scott Smith.